In the first example of a studio "demoting" a combo release,
Universal Studios Home Entertainment will re-issue 'Army
of Darkness' and 'Unleashed'
as stand-alone HD DVD titles this June.

Universal first released both 'Army of Darkness' and 'Unleashed' last year
as HD DVD/DVD combos, at the format's slightly higher $34.95 price tag. The
studio is now discontinuing those versions from the market, and re-issuing both
as $29.95 HD DVD-only versions on June 26.

Specs and features remain the same -- Universal is simply dropping the standard-def DVD
side, with no other changes to the discs' content.

The move comes as a bit of a surprise, since only a couple of months ago, the
studio was touting an aggressive release strategy that would
see an estimated 90 percent of its entire HD DVD 2007 line-up go combo. However,
over the past several weeks, the studio has announced its HD DVD release schedule
all the way through July, and not a single catalog title is a combo.

Of Universal's 2007 titles announced thus far, only new release theatrical
hits, including the recently-announced 'The
Hitcher' and 'Alpha
Dog,' are slated to be combos.

No word has come from Universal on just what the strategy is behind their seeming
about-face on combos. Perhaps the lower price point on HD DVD-only catalog titles
will prove more attractive to consumers, and help further drive sales? Certainly,
with the news of Blu-ray's success with titles like 'Casino
Royale,' which last week became the first next-gen title to ship
over 100,000 copies, the battle for sales bragging rights is certainly
more competitive than ever.

We'll keep you posted on any further Universal conversions of combo titles
to HD DVD-only releases. We've also added new listings for both 'Army of Darkness'
and 'Unleashed' to our HD
DVD Release Schedule, under June 26.

Founded in April 2006, High-Def Digest is the ultimate guide for High-Def enthusiasts who demand only the best that money can buy. Updated daily and in real-time, we track all high-def disc news and release dates, and review the latest disc titles.